Dr. Bob Gray Sr. retired pastor of the Longview Baptist Temple in Longview, Texas. 45 years of ministry with 33 years of pastoring. Author of 35 books and conference speaker.

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Sunday, August 8, 2010

PREACHING IN MICHIGAN

I was up at 5:30, had my quiet time, went downstairs for a light breakfast, and then 3 miles on the treadmill. Boy was it ever hot in that room. I went back to my room showered and dressed.

I went over the Sunday school lesson on THE LINES OF DEFENSE out of the book of Galatians. Satan desires to have all of us and he uses a "WHO" to accomplish it. Satan doesn't walk up to us and talk us into doing some dumb stunt. He uses personalities to persuade us and entice us into a crowd mentality. The Scripture says, "Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth." It says, "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?"

Paul give us four lines of defense from being swallowed up by a charismatic personality. The battle is between the flesh and the Spirit. The physical WHO and the deity WHO! There is earthly wisdom and Heavenly wisdom and the choice is ours as to which to follow! We naturally do not like ourselves and thus are susceptible to a confident personality. Enter Dr. Phil who lectures the world on marriage while being divorced! Crazy isn't it?

The church at Galatia had drifted back under the Law and left what they had been so faithfully taught by Paul who followed Christ! Now they are floundering spiritually because of dynamic personalities. God through Paul gives us four layers of defense in oder to keep us from being led like a lamb to the slaughter by a tantalizing personality.

1) THE SCRIPTURES (Galatians 4:30)

2) THE HOLY SPIRIT (Galatians 5:16-18)

3) THE CONSCIENCE (Galatians 6:3, 7)

4) THE MAN OF GOD (Galatians 4:1,11-21)

It is possible to quench the Holy Spirit according to I Thessalonians 5:19 and stop Him from teaching us the Scriptures. So when we quench Him then enter the conscience of a man and it is possible to sear the conscience and deceive ourselves, so enter the man of God. Paul said in Galatians 4:1, "Now I say..." No pastor likes to come to this point to where someone bypasses the Scriptures, bypasses the Holy Spirit, and bypasses the conscience and comes face to face with the man of God. The truth is when this happens the only one standing between you and Satan is the man of God. The delight is when all four are working together and in harmony. WOW!

Well enough of that! The Lakecrest Baptist Church of Waterford, Michigan, is pastored by my good friend of over two decades Dr. Marc Dalton. He is in his sixth year as their pastor. He is as real as they come! I love being with and around him! We had a great crowd and three trusted Christ with one man Shawn Chavis following the Lord in baptism. I also was able to have my picture taken with the pastor's daughter-in-law Michelle and her baby Lyndie. Isn't she a cutie! Michelle is the daughter of our member back home Don Mann of LBT. GOTTA LOVE SERVING THE LORD!